The Twinkling Night
by nikscoolg
Summary: After the incident at Malfoy Manor our favourite heroine is silent. Harry wants to find out why. Please read what happens and review.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. Never have and never will.

 **Warning:** Sorry but this is unbetaed

 **The Twinkling Night**

The night was looking special. One might even say romantic. It was a cloud free night. One could even see the stars clearly. They were twinkling brightly like a glimmering blanket of stars. It was a rare occasion that one could see the stars like this. Even the moon was shining brightly. It was full moon tonight.

Hermione was perched on the window seat of the room. She had wrapped her hands around her knees and had placed her head on her folded hands. She was looking at the scene outside the house. Since the room was located on the first floor of the shell cottage, the home of William and Fleur Weasely, Hermione had a breathtaking view of the night.

Should someone gaze inside the room, the scene was quite picturesque that one would expect from a painting from a famous artist.

But when one looked closer, the scene looked more real. The room was covered in darkness as all the lights were out and the only light was coming from the glow of the moon.

Even though Hermione was watching the moon glow, her thoughts were on a different night. Tears were flowing down her face continously and it looked like there would be no end to it. Although she was crying, not a sound was uttered from her lips. She was crying silently so as to not disturb the state of the room and also not to bring any attention towards her. She had already caused a lot of worry amongst the other occupants of the house and she did not want to cause more.

 **_0-0-0-0-0-0_**

Harry was worried. It had been 2 hours since Hermione had excused herself after dinner. She was hiding in the room in which they had taken her when they first arrived in Bill's house.

Hermione had not uttered a single word relating to the incident after telling them in detail of what had happened and other information which she had managed to gather. After that nothing. No response. She did not even respond to the questions directed towards her.

Harry had enough of waiting. He had been patient and had tried to give her some space. But he can not let her stay alone moping especially when he knew that she was hurting.

Harry went upstairs to the bedroom that Hermione was occupying currently and stood outside her door. He hesitated for moment but then he steeled his resolve and knocked on the door.

There was no response from the other side. He then tried again. But still did not get any answer. Harry decided to open the door before he backed out of the plan.

He glanced around the room. At first he thought that nobody was there inside the room. But at a closer inspection he found Hermione near the window. Harry stared at her and for a moment he could not recognise her.

If one looked closely at her face, they would find numerous scratches and bruises littered which are at various stages of healing. She was also literally covered in bandages.

She looked like someone who had visited and came back from hell. But what she had suffered was much worse.

Hermione had faced the devil and had survived but had not come out of it unscathed.

The physical scars and bruisings would heal after a period of time but Harry was worried about the mental and emotional scars which were left behind. He did not fully know what had happened to her as he was sure that Hermione had glossed over or outright skipped some parts relating to her torture.

Harry stood near the door as he did not know what to do. What does even one say to their friend who you know that has been tortured?

Hermione shifted a bit and rolled back the shirt sleave of her left forearm and removed the bandages covering the skin. She was staring intently at the skin that was revealed.

Harry was confused with the action and was wondering what had caused distress. But then he remembered that when they had brought Hermione, that particular forearm was bleeding.

He went near her slowly so that she is not spooked by his presence. The only noise in that room was the clicking sound of Harry's boots as he walked. Even then it seemed that Hermione had not noticed his presence or was ignoring it.

Harry was standing besides Hermione and peeked at her hand. He took a sharp breath. What he saw caused his heart to still. He had never in his entire life had imagined that he would see this.

There on Hermione's arm was a scar that caused so much distress. The scar was raw and red. In crude handwriting, Bellatrix Lestrage had carved the word 'mudblood' into Hermione's left forearm. The cut was so deep that it seemed that skin would come out.

Harry was feeling numerous emotions - hopelessness because he couldn't do anything, frustration because there was nothing he could do take away her pain, sadness because this had to happen and anger at himself because he should have done better.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his emotions.

"How much more do we have to suffer before this war ends?" The question was whispered so quietly that Harry had to strain his ears to listen.

Millions of thoughts ran through his mind. Harry was struggling to answer because there was no straight answer to it. Suddenly he was startled out of his musings when a drop of water fell on his hand.

He looked down and searched for the source of water as there could not be any leakages in this room. Harry placed his hand on his cheek and was shocked to find trail of tears falling down. It was a drop of tear that had fallen down on his hands.

Harry shut his eyes and let his instincts run. His instincts had never failed him.

Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione and pulled her into his chest. Hermione flinched when he pulled her but then relaxed in his arms. She then snuggled further into him slowly but surely becoming relaxed. She burrowed her face in his chest as if the action would hide her from the entire world.

For the first time, after the escape Hermione was feeling safe. That all the problems would go away. She found safety in the arms of her best friend. It was as if the hug would shield her from every bad thing in the world.

Harry could have handled the situation in a number of ways. He could have said a number of things... He could have done a number of things... to make her feel better.

But he knew they would have been a hollow gesture on his part.

Sometimes a simple thing is the answer. Their hug spoke a lot of things that could not have been expressed verbally. Their hug spoke of a thousand gestures that could have been done. But the hug was only thing that was needed in that moment.

Harry placed a kiss on Hermione's temple and pulled her so close to him that there was no place to even put a paper in between them.

They stayed in this position the whole night gazing at the stars.

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcomed.


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